Should a person
rely on prayers and Dhikr (remembering Allah) as protection against worldly
problems and divine calamities? If one does a lot of Dhikr and avoids
unnecessary activities so as to be safe, it would be right?

Answer:

My answer is in the
affirmative. The essence of Islamic teachings that I have been able to
gather is that we must try not to be engulfed by troubles and calamities.
Once one of my teachers told me that our religion, in this regard, is very
different from many other religions of the world. He related that the
adherents of a very strict discipline of Christianity, Cistercian, pray to
the Lord ‘O Lord, let us suffer as Jesus (sws) suffered’. This is not what
Islam teaches us. We, the Muslims, must try our utmost not to attract any
problems. However, if they find place in our life, we must be patient and
bold enough to fight them however hard and tough they may be. In that case,
we need to strive to the best of our abilities to live up to the
expectations of our Lord by showing perseverance and paying glory to Him.
Thus, it is perfectly okay to pray to Allah to help us stay away from
problems as long as it is best for us.